Celebrate the French Revolution Like a New Yorker

(eat, drink and party in the street all week)

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Whether you are French, a Francophile, or just like frog legs and face painting, come out and honor the other red, white and blue at this week's Bastille Day parties.

Sunday, July 11 the French Institute Alliance hosts its annual Bastille Day block party on 60th street between 5th and Lex. While the kiddies eat crepes and have the French flag painted on their faces, step into the Alliance for wine and cheese.

On Wednesday, July 14 the Oak Room is honoring the holiday with an America's idea of a French delicacy -- frog legs. Saddle up to the bar with the tourists, order a bottle of champagne and smother those babies in hot sauce and blue cheese dip (just like buffalo wings!) Or, go eat some real French food at Paradou in the MPD, where special menu items and the strumming of Paris-born guitarist Stephane Wremble commemorate the occasion.

Who needs the French Riviera when we have Water Taxi beach? The party on the Long Island City celebrates France’s independence with wines from the South of France (as part of the Sud de France festival), live music, barefoot-in-the-sand dancing and killer views of Mnahattan on Wednesday from 7 until 1 a.m.

On Sunday, July 18 Smith Street (between Bergen and Pacific) will be covered in 12 yards of sand for the Brooklyn Bastille Day petanque tournament. Spend the day sipping Pastis and watching more than 80 teams toss those little metal balls all the way to the finals. (Hey, the World Cup is over, so take what international sports action you can get.)